NYX Femme Extra Creamy Round Lipstick

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Femme is the kind of color that calls out to me during the warm weather months.  Described as a bright pink-red cream (it leans coral red to me), Femme can be worn opaque for statement making color, or sheered out for a softer flushed look.

Considering the uber reasonable price of $4, this is a nicely formulated lipstick.  It has a thin consistency but I found it easy to build up color in one pass.  My one complaint is the appearance of skin nubies despite having exfoliated my lips.  I do not know were they come from!

I had no issues with migration, but I'd say wear time is on the shorter side of about 2-3 hours, no doubt a reflection of the lightweight formula.  It's not so much that the color disappears, but more that my lips feel in need of more moisture.  I wouldn't say Femme is drying though, if that makes any sense.  Probably not.

The above was taken last July when I acquired Femme.  Next is Femme with Le Métier de Beauté's Creme de la Creme gloss on top, which gives it a bit of shimmer with high shine.

The next pictures are from a few days ago, applied sheerly and with By Terry's clear Baume de Rose lip balm on top.  A hydrating balm or gloss on top definitely makes Femme more wearable for me.

Lastly, here is Femme compared to NYX's liquid lipstick in Morocco (full review here).  Definitely a softer sister to Morocco's impressive matte intensity:

Bottom line:  great color, pretty good formula for the money.

Riviera Clear Floral Wayfarer Sunglasses

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

I've always been partial to Wayfarer style sunglasses, and these floral motif ones seemed perfect for summer.  I came across them on Ulta's web site and decided to buy blind.  Let's see how that worked out:-)

At $15, it wasn't a huge risk.  I'm notorious for losing sunglasses so prefer to not sink money into them, but these have a nice heft and solid feel that belies the lower price range.  Fortunately, they also fit my head well and are comfortable, so I lucked out!

The only thing I'm not completely sure about is if they are too big for my face.  Regardless, I'll be wearing them and even bought another pair in a different color, which may make an appearance at some point on the blog as well.   If nothing else, I'm liking how ColourPop's new Topanga Lippie Stix looks with these (review coming soon).  I'm tempted to lower the top on the Beetle, if only I wasn't afraid the back window would fall out :-)

Monster Super Shock Cheek Highlighter by ColourPop

Monster is one of the fourteen new highlighters ColourPop released in April, and it is gorgeous.  Described as a light pink with highly opalescent duo chrome finish, I love the peach/pink color shift. It really does remind me of the colors you see in an opal, which happens to be my birthstone.

The color shift is both evident yet subtle, making this a highlighter that I feel comfortable wearing to work.  The highlight is more evident in bright light, but it truly does what you want a highlighter to do, by emphasizing the parts of the face you applied it to without calling attention to skin imperfections or looking garish.

The compact the new blushes/highlighters/bronzers (all $8) come in is larger than the eyeshadows at 4.2 grams vs. 2.1 grams.  The soft to the touch/almost a cream type formula is best applied with fingers, although a synthetic brush also works.  I preferred using my fingers to apply Monster as a highlighter.  Wear time for me was on par with other powder highlighters, about 7 hours before my oily skin starts to wreak havoc.

Monster above Cupid's bow

I'm definitely a fan of Monster, and am anxious to try Tasty, the other highlight shade (but it's dark enough to use as a blush) I chose.

Have you tried the ColourPop highlighters yet?  I've got my eyes on a few others now that I know I like how they perform.

Clinique Up-lighting Liquid Illuminator in Blush

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Last summer was the time I became enthralled with liquid illuminators and acquired more than a few, include the lovely Clinique Up-lighting Liquid Illuminator (awkward name).

Described as a sheer blushing pink with white shimmer, it can be used to highlight strategic spots or to bring an all over facial glow when mixed with foundation.  I love mixing highlighters with foundations, and thought Clinique's version was comparable (perhaps a bit more sparkly) to the Giorgio Armani's Fluid Sheers, or at least the one I've tried (full review here).

Concentrated

Blended/bright sun

When blended with BB/CC creams or liquid foundations, the sparkle is minimal at best.  When used on the cheeks or to highlight other areas of the face, you can definitely see glow with a hint of color.

Clinique CC Cream + Up-lighting Illuminator + CoverFX drops

You can definitely see the highlight on my cheeks, and for a touch more color I used Estee Lauder's Pure Color Blush in Pink Kiss on the apples of my cheeks.  On my lips I'm wearing one of the lip duos from Le Métier de Beauté's Gemini Kiss lip/cheek kaleidoscope (full review here).   I really enjoyed this FOTD, as I wanted something polished but light for an all day faculty workshop I attended.

For the next look I used two pumps of the Up-lighting Illuminator mixed with Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder foundation in Sand.  Again, I think Sand is not quite right the right shade for me, as my neck seems lighter than my face in pictures.  You can get an idea of how the illuminator looks on it's own as a blush, however.

Clinique's Up-lighting Liquid Illuminator is available in 3 shades - Natural, Bronze, and Blush - and retails for $26.  Very nice.

Tres Leches Intense Butter Gloss by NYX

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

NYX's Butter Gloss gets lots of love from the reviews I've read, so when the new Intense Butter Gloss formula was released this spring, I decided it was time to try one out.  I chose a "safer" color in Tres Leches, but given that the Intense versions are supposed to pack even more color than the original Butter Glosses, that doesn't mean sheer or low impact.

Tres Leches is described as "nude", and on me it's has enough of a pinky beige color to not wash me out.  The color impact is that of a liquid lipstick, and combined with it's glossy finish and comfortable wear time of 3 or so hours, quite the good performer. 

At around $6 and with frequent BOGO sales at Ulta that lower the price even further, pretty impressive.  The Intense Butter Glosses come in 12 shades, and Tres Leches turns out to have been a very good choice for everyday wear.

Empties! Products I Used Up (or Tossed) in May

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

May was a pretty good month when it came to using up some staples as well as tossing some items that had expired for just were not doing it for me.  So, let's get to it!

• Boscia Self-Dense Vital Antioxidant Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (x2 deluxe samples:  This has been my moisturizer/sun screen of choice for the last few months, and was part of a Boscia haul I got last July (see here).  One tube expired in December and one in May, so they were definitely on/past of cusp of needing to be used up.  I liked them quite a bit, as they were lightweight and worked well with my oily skin.
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Conditioner (deluxe sample):  I got this as part of a set during Sephora's Black Friday deals.  It was okay, nothing that really stood out to me.
• Yes to Grapefruit Brightening Facial Towelettes (full size):  I tend to use facial towelettes mainly on the weekends when I not wearing makeup as a way to degrease my face.  I especially like keeping them in the refrigerator and using them to cool down after mowing the grass.
• Garnier Fructis Style Anti-Humidifier Hairspray (full size):  I live in an uber humid climate, especially in the warm weather months.  By uber humid, I mean anywhere from 60%-90% in the summer.  Think pea soup.  Good for the skin, or at least that's what I tell myself.  Not so good for straight hair, however.  This hairspray was decent and did the job in Mobile's extreme humidity, so would probably work great for those in a less humid climate.

Mobile, AL humidity levels

• Hello by Harvey Prince Shower Gel (deluxe sample):  I liked the scent of this, very refreshing.
• Clarin's Multi-Active Day Cream (deluxe sample):  I enjoyed using the sample, but not enough to invest $59 for the full-sized version.
• Clarin's Toning Lotion with Iris (deluxe sample):  Formulated for oily skin, I thought this alcohol free toner did a good job without stripping the skin.  In general, I've enjoyed the Clarin's toners I've tried.
• pur-lisse pur-delicate Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser (deluxe sample):  I was very pleasantly surprised by the milky, non-foaming cleanser.  I've got a more detailed review coming up on cleansers in my rotation, so I'll go into more detail then.
• Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydrating Revitalizing Eye Mask (1 set):  Very nice, full review upcoming.
• Versace Crystal Noir (sample):  I enjoyed Crystal Noir and found it to be lush without veering into overly sweet or cloying territory, something that's a real possibility with some of the notes listed.  In general I do not like this type of sample as rarely is there enough in it to get a true sense of the perfume, but I do like how they list the notes on the lift off foil.

•  Clean Skin (sample):  I was prepared to hate Clean Skin, but I didn't.  I may have even liked it, if it was just a tad bit stronger/longer lasting.  Granted, it's a skin scent, but it's an almost non-existent skin scent.  Fortunately it was more floral/musk as opposed to soapy/laundry sheet, which made it's ephemeral nature quite pleasing.  I mixed the entire vial with a non-scented body lotion and am going to try that with more of my ever growing pile of perfume samples.

• stila Indigo Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner (full-size):  The tip had become frayed and the liquid pigment was no longer smooth, so it was time to toss this baby.  Full review here.

• davines MINU Shampoo (deluxe sample):  I enjoyed this color-protective shampoo quite a bit, from it's gentle/low lather to the scent.  I'd buy a full-sized bottle.
• Brightening Essence by L'Occitane (foil sample):  not really enough to tell one way or another.

I also tossed some items:

• Miracle Skin Transformer SPF 20 (deluxe sample): expired.

•  Benefit's Watts Up (sample):  I took this with me to DC recently and just found it irritating to use, so I tossed it.
• Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum (deluxe sample):  sadly, this had gone bad.  Or at least I'm pretty sure it had, based on it's barnyard scent, which I would describe as hay mixed with fecal matter.  I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to smell like that.  Too bad, and a good lesson for me to use up the natural product samples I get pronto, as they have a much shorter shelf life.

 

• stila Lip Glaze:  I hate click pens, and have decided that in general I'm just not a fan of stila Lip Glaze formua - too sticky.  So, rather then just letting this take up space....
• LipFusion XXL Lip Plumper:  This is brand new, but I don't really need a lip plumper and am a bit leery of how much my lips sting after applying. 

Progress, and a good reminder to check my products for expiration dates as soon as I get them!

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

It's that time of year again, when Sephora releases their coveted kit of sun safety products.  I bought one two years ago but skipped last year's set.  Since products with SPF have a relatively short shelf life, it was time to stock up again!

The price is right on this collection at $32 with a value of $155, plus $20 of that price goes to the Skin Cancer Foundation.  I'm a reformed sun worshipper (it was de rigueur to tan when I was a teen), and I'm more than a bit nervous that I'll develop skin cancer at some point.  Crossing my fingers, but plenty of damage has already been done.  Even when I quit actively tanning, I hated the feel of most sunscreens on top of my oily skin, so it's only been in the last few years that I'm conscientious about using sunscreen on my face.  Formulas have improved so much, thank goodness.

I'm happy to see some new products that I've yet to try, as well as some old favorites in this kit.  If I've reviewed or used an item before, I'll have comments or a link to a full review available: 

• 0.1 oz Ole Henriksen total truth™ eye crème SPF 15
• 0.34 oz Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• 0.08 oz Fresh® Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15:  always nice to have another, and I do appreiciate the SPF in a lip product, which usually seems to be neglected.
• 0.5 oz Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47:  I enjoyed using an earlier version of this (review here) on the weekends when taking the dogs for a walk sans makeup or working in the yard.   Looks like the SPF has been upped from 40 to 47.
• 0.34 oz Supergoop!® City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30
• 0.34 oz Vita Liberata Passion Flower & Argan Dry Oil Broad Spectrum SPF 50:  excited to try this dry oil, sounds like it will be great for use on my legs!
• 0.6 oz Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (80 Minutes):  I've got another unused tube of this, need to check the expiration date. 
• 1.69 oz St. Tropez One Night Only in Light-Medium:  this has been a go to self tanner for me for two years now - love that it does not have that icky self-tanner scent and that it's easy to get an instant tan that is relatively transfer-resistant, yet showers off (review here).

•  0.2 oz AmorePacific Natural Protector SPF 30:  love AmorePacific products, interested to see how this performs.  
• 0.17 oz Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45:  I've yet to find a Dr. Jart+ BB cream that I really liked, so we shall see.
• 0.25 oz Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare™ Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen
• 0.3 oz Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50
• 0.5 oz Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Light Medium:  initial impressions are favorable, need to test it a bit more.
• 0.5 oz Origins VitaZing™ Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen:  I've had good experiences with other Origins moisturizers with SPF, but haven't tried this one before.
• 0.17 oz Murad® Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense® Lotion SPF 30:  have another one of these that I recently tried, a bit heavier/shinier than I care for.  May be a good weekend walk the dogs option, but doubt it will work for me under makeup.

This year's bag is sturdy and will make a good lunch bag, methinks.  The Sun Safety Kits usually sale out relatively quick, but I was surprised to see this still on Sephora's site as of Friday.  Worth checking out if you are in need of sunscreen, which I was!